Reflective - Charly Cerda

Reflective Writing Nº1: The School Before I start writing anything, I’m going to clarify the context in which I’m in right now regarding my school. Due to a long process of paperwork, I started my VISE II process just one week ago by presenting myself at the corresponding educational establishment but now they’re on a strike so I haven’t been able to do that much in the classroom apart from talking a bit to the class I’ll work with. That’s why I’m going to use my perspective as a former student of this school and also as the intern I am now. The Instituto Superior de Comercio (INSUCO) is located in Av. Argentina, one of the arterial avenues of our city, a fact that makes of this high school an accessible place for every student in terms of a physical position. It possesses administrative and commercial specialties for all of its students, known as: Administration, Accountancy, Secretarial Work, Sales Agent and Tourism Services. It has 10 classes for every level (1st, 2nd and 4th year), 11 classes for 3rd year, 6 classes for Vespertine Education with 3 levels of difficulty including a mention in Accountancy, a Basic Education program for people who’d like to finish their studies and develop themselves as Sale Agents, and an estimated number of 1800 students approximately. Rules when it comes to appearance, behaviour and learning are kind of strict, only to make sure the students are receiving a proper education. Girls can’t use too much make up and their jumper has got to have a decent length, while boys have to be perfectly shaved all the time, regularly with short hair and well dressed. Many of these characteristics affect directly the school’s environment, for example: dressing the right way can improve physical and emotional safety in the academic community1; motivating infrastructure or cultural spaces can create positive attitudes on students2; qualified teachers could give away better education3; an so on. It is clear that these facts can contribute in a big part to the way that schools develop nowadays. This particular establishment suffered physical changes for almost a year some time ago and now enjoys a fully renewed structure, where pupils can develop themselves widely. This has brought new opportunities not only for students but also for teachers and co-workers, allowing them to participate in all new extracurricular activities, projects and plans of study. The constant evaluation of teachers working there would keep the school updated on the job they do in and out of the classroom, as well as the performance of co-workers and students in the same place. As far as I’m concerned and based on what I’ve experienced during this process, this would be the only learning condition that could be improved.

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http://www.familiesonlinemagazine.com/school/dress-code.html http://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/other-publications/downloadable-reports/the-effects-of-the-schoolenvironment-on-young-peoples-attitudes-towards-education-and-learning.cfm 3 http://www.nrdc.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=1497 2